I have served as an elected Delegate for 2018-2020 and as Corresponding Secretary of the Culver City Democratic Club. I am an activist, feminist, C.P.A., and actor. I work at the Natural History Museum. Over the last 30 years or so, I have done accounting work for governments and not-for-profits. I met my husband passing out flyers for Bernie in August 2015.

I’m for
*A Green New Deal for a just transition to a green economy
*Medicare for All (or better!)
*An economy that works for working people
*The kind of public safety that makes EVERYONE feel safe
*Public education
*Ending student debt

I want to make the Democratic Party and our Club stronger and more progressive (I supported Bernie in the Presidential primaries) so more of us in the “99 percent” get active. I’m running for re-election because I want to preserve democracy in the United States and make our party a defender of working people again.

I am a member of the Forward 54 slate. My slate-mates are the real deal.
Please check out my video at http://www.adem54.org/cynthia

-Cynthia Hart Forward 54-Because the Arc of Justice won’t bend itself!

I am running to ensure that we have a Democratic Party that represents a vision of the future that my wife and I want to see realized for our young daughter, a future where she has no limits placed on her goals and aspirations. My vote in the California Democratic Party will be a vote for the most vulnerable residents among us.

I’m Government Relations Manager at Child Care Resource Center. I serve as a CA State Legislature appointee on the Early Childhood Policy Council Parent Advisory Committee.

I have served on the L.A. County Young Democrats Board for five-years. I’m currently VP of Administration. LACYD won California Young Democrats’ Project of the Year Award in 2020 for our new Racial Justice Candidate Pledge, a project I led with five other Young Dem clubs in L.A. The RJC Pledge requires candidates to affirm their commitment to dismantle systemic racism through policy.

I serve as President of Loyola High School Alumni Society, where we manage tutoring programs, raise funds for black students’ scholarships and adhere to the Jesuit value of being men and women for others and with others.

My maternal great-grandparents came to L.A. from Texas and Louisiana. They met in on Central Avenue and married in 1921. Their youngest daughter, my Grandmother, is my inspiration and my motivation. My mother died of cancer at age 49. I was 19 years old. Through her incredible resilience, she taught me to use my experiences to serve others. My career is focused on using my life experiences to make my Mom proud.

My father worked for Mayor Tom Bradley in the 80s and Supervisor Yvonne Burke in the 90s. I grew up with an acute understanding of the conditions in Black Los Angeles, marked by de facto segregation and institutional racism, which forged my commitment to using my knowledge and experience to serve our communities. My daughter is 3-years-old. My wife and I are thrilled to raise her in our amazing, diverse neighborhoods and communities that comprise South and West Los Angeles. I’m determined to ensure that she and children like her have an opportunity to grow up and thrive as adults carrying forward the values of equity and justice we cherish.

Please vote for the complete FORWARD 54 slate so we can work together to accomplish our goals.

Check out my video at: https://www.adem54.org/patrick

Naomi Goldman – Activist, Housing Advocate, Policy/Crisis Pro, Social Changemaker

I’m a Jewish, feminist, progressive and daughter of an immigrant – and longtime Westwood resident. I’m proudly running to serve as delegate to the California Democratic Party in AD54 on the Forward 54 slate, because we have so much vital work ahead to lift up all Californians. We need champions for progressive values and I’m that proven advocate, activist and fighter.

We must invest in our most vulnerable Californians and make bold, systemic and sustainable change. COVID-19 has exacerbated all of the holes in our safety net. It’s not radical to demand that everyone should have food, housing, a living wage, quality healthcare, mental health services and education. We must protect reproductive rights, ensure economic security, tackle climate change and eliminate the daily threats of violence, hate and discrimination. Equity and justice must guide dramatic criminal justice reform and alternatives to incarceration. And it’s time for the hard work of rebuilding safe and humane asylum protections that welcome immigrants.

Professionally, I’ve worked to combat and prevent homelessness; built coalitions and programs around public health, access to healthcare and environmental protection; developed protocols to fight harassment and discrimination; and helped many communities plan for and survive gun violence and disasters. My activism went full throttle when the GOP took control four years ago and never looked back, working this cycle to elect Joe Biden/Kamala Harris with Grassroots Democrats HQ, CADEM, SeaChange and mobilize volunteers for local, state and federal races as a GOTV leader for Christy Smith and LA County Supervisor Holly Mitchell and Board member of Heart of LA Democratic Club (where I’ve led our legislative advocacy). I’m on the Democrats for Israel – CA Board, Westside Democratic HQ Steering Committee as their member rep to the LA County Democratic Party, active with the Jewish Legislative & Women’s Caucuses, a UCLA Alumni Mentor and disaster responder/educator with American Red Cross.

It’s time for serious changemakers to propel our Party forward and I would be honored to receive your vote! Please vote the complete FORWARD 54 slate so we can work together to accomplish these goals. For more about me, visit https://www.adem54.org/naomi

Hello, 54th Assembly District Democrats!

I’m a native Angeleno, physician, playwright, grassroots organizer, and currently a delegate in AD 54. In the 2016-2018 election cycle, I helped build SoCal Blue (then called Swing SoCal Left) into a district transforming, blue wave political action hub for the region, catalyzing the formation of the district Action Councils that led to the electoral sweep of five Congressional swing districts, and inspiring similar groups across the country. After the 2018 midterms, I helped gear up SoCal Blue to continue its role as an action hub in the 2020 election cycle. In addition, I joined Field Team 6 as Director of Operations and began developing its organizational infrastructure to transform its lean, mean voter registration machine into a national powerhouse, registering tens of thousands of Democrats for the 2020 election.

As a delegate, I’m currently in conversation with California Assembly Member Sydney Kamlager (AD 54) about organizing a state mandated Citizens’ Assembly to deliberate and make policy recommendations for a state ethnic studies curriculum. Citizens’ assemblies are an exciting new form of deliberative democracy that increase citizen engagement in government. I’m running so that I can continue this work, and also the work of the Forward 54 slate, of which I’m a member, to fight for real progressive change in the Democratic Party and California government. Putting an economic floor under people is not only good economic policy, it’s good democratic policy. When basic needs are not provided for, people disengage, and what democracy needs most are engaged citizens who feel listened to.

For more about me, and Forward 54, visit https://www.adem54.org/wayne

I believe healthcare is a right. With the 5th largest economy in the world, California must make single payer healthcare a reality and end our dependence on employer based for-profit health insurance.

I know that climate change is a real and present danger. We need to make massive infrastructure shifts toward clean energy: expanding solar, wind, and other energy sources and upgrading our power grids to reduce our dependence on oil, gas, and coal.

For too long our systems in the US have exploited Black, Indigenous, and people of color to uphold white supremacy. We need to build systems of reparations to address centuries of oppression. Black lives must matter.

Our education system must reflect 21st century needs with high quality, tuition-free, Pre-k through College. We must reject the criminalization of students of color.

We also need dramatic changes in our criminal justice system. We know that police and sheriff are NOT working in the interests of the people, we must reduce police funding and redirect these towards care, housing, and hunger.

We need to protect LGBTQ+ and women’s rights, demand equal pay, and codify the right to choose, into law rather than relying on our courts for protection. Let’s implement a modern version the ERA that recognizes intersectionality.

Stop scapegoating immigrants, institute real immigration reform, protect DREAMers, and make a path to citizenship for the over 11 million Americans without documentation.

We need a new voting rights act, expanding, not reversing, the voter protections fought for in the civil rights movement, ensuring that every American has access to the polls for fair and democratic elections.

Our politicians should answer to their constituents, not large corporate donors. We must push for public financing of elections so our legislators can legislate, not fundraise. This will also increase access for people from under-represented groups to run for office creating a political class that looks like the populace.

This will be my 2nd term as a Delegate and I look forward to continuing my work with the Voter Services Committee, organizing with SwingLeft & SeaChange, and helping maintain the SoCalBlue.org organizers calendar!

Check out my video at https://www.adem54.org/greg

Please vote the complete FORWARD 54 slate so we can work together to accomplish our goals.

Activist, Artist, Environmentalist, Educator, Caretaker

Shannon “Ziggy” Theus

Stirred by an overwhelming sense of duty, I am a guardian of LA. As a third generation Los Angelena, I inherited my strong drive towards civic duty. In 1992 I was a toddler on Crenshaw shouting “No justice; No Peace” and I know first hand why there is a need for police reform.

Later, in 1994 I was child shaken awake, as the earthquake destroyed my home. I know the need for emergency housing, housing subsidies and rent control.

I afforded my education at Loyola Marymount University by being a teacher’s assistant for students with special needs, and gained insight on how to improve LA education systems.

I graduated from LMU with a mountain of debt and understand why student loan forgiveness and affordable education is necessary to have a healthy workforce.

You’ve seen me active around LA. You’ve seen me protecting the Ballona Wetlands, protesting the oil field, canvassing for candidates and volunteering for your progressive leaders.

You have seen me staging afrofuturist festivals at Leimart Park, as the Recording Secretary for the Culver City Democratic Club. I am at your service Los Angeles. I humbly urge you to please vote for me and my slatemates of Forward54. We are a well vetted bouquet of progressives who have come together to strategize for your benefit.

https://www.adem54.org/shannon

Shannon “Ziggy* Theus-Forward 54-Because the Arc of Justice Won’t Bend Itself!

I am a candidate seeking election as a Delegate to CADEM because I want to participate in the Democratic Party decision making and help Californians contribute to the rebuilding and healing of our nation as a diverse Democracy in which all persons know freedom and have a voice and a place they can call home. I’m a lifelong Democrat, born and raised in the state of Texas and working hard to turn Texas into a Blue state. I served as an elected member of the Los Angeles County Democratic Committee for past 12 years (2008-2020). In 2017, I was elected the Female “Democrat of the Year” for the 54th Assembly District. I served as Vice President of the 54th AD for 9 years. I served on the LACDP Legislative Committee for the past 6 years. I am a Life member of the New Frontier Democratic Club and I served as First Vice President of the New Frontier Democratic Club for 2 years, as a Trustee for 8 years. Currently I am a Board member of the West Los Angeles Democratic Club since 2015.

There is a great need for strong and courageous individuals to embrace needed changes which will integrate our Progressive thinking with our Democratic ideas and values. We are living with the threat of increased COVID -19 virus infections, the destruction of our world through nuclear war, unsafe air, pollution of our shores, pollution of our waterways, obstruction and denial of inherent freedoms, including civil rights, human rights, education, healthcare, transportation, religion, housing and homelessness. I want to see the Democratic Party come out with new, smart, motivated, active, and courageous leaders to turn our party around and take back the state Legislatures, keep the U.S. Congress and take back the U.S. Senate. We must work together to get this done.

EQUITY. ACTION. PROGRESS. ACCOUNTABILITY. These words have been and continue to be my guiding principles as I proudly serve as a delegate to the California State Democratic Party for Assembly District 54.

I’m an LA-born-and-raised attorney, activist, feminist, artist, lifelong progressive, Greek-American, daughter of educators and immigrants, and member of the Party’s Voter Services Standing Committee. I’m committed to the fight for a more progressive California, and I expect the same from Democrats in office and in party leadership positions. I’m seeking re-election so I can continue to champion the progressive vision for California we know is possible.

So many of us knocked on doors and made phone calls to usher in the big Blue Wave in 2018, and organized amidst a pandemic to win the White House in 2020, two powerful examples of what can be accomplished when we all do our part. Most recently I enthusiastically volunteered with the local campaigns of Holly Mitchell and Christy Smith, worked on voter protection for the Nov. 3 election, registered new voters in swing states, and just returned from GOTV efforts in Georgia to help flip the Senate. I humbly ask for your vote so I can keep doing the meaningful work of serving as your delegate.

California is an important reminder to all that we can be inclusive, empower workers and tenants, protect the environment, and still have a thriving economy. But we have much work to do. Democrats have a supermajority in the legislature, so there can be no excuses. We must fight to realize our full potential, including universal healthcare, free high quality public education, total racial, gender, LGBTQ+ equality and bodily autonomy, an economy that allows people to thrive and protects the environment, humane immigration policy, the abolition of mass incarceration and the death penalty, big money out of politics, an end to gun violence, corporations and the wealthy contributing their fair share, and more! It’s all possible, and California must lead the way.

My delegate responsibilities are a privilege that I take seriously. If I have the honor of serving as your delegate again, you can count on me to cast my votes thoughtfully and critically, and to show up and fight for our shared progressive values!

Please vote for me and the FORWARD 54 slate; check out my video and our website here: http://www.adem54.org/elina

Hello, 54th Assembly District Democrats! I am a life-long progressive and activist in Culver City and beyond. I work as a child clinical psychologist in private practice and teach UCLA Medical School students interviewing skills and the social determinants of health. I am running for re-election as part of a group of committed grassroots activists of the Forward 54 Slate to advocate for policies and political representation that will prioritize the needs of children and working families. Some of our priorities are: Affordable Housing, fighting all forms of Hate and Discrimination, Access to Mental Health Care, Medicare For All, Cancelling Student Debt, and a Green New Deal.

My political life began in eighth grade, lobbying the Massachusetts Legislature for the ERA. I am currently Chairperson of the Politics and Elections Committee of the Culver City Democratic Club and I organized efforts to grow our club, increasing membership by 30%. I’m on the Steering Committee of the Culver City Community Coalition, a local grassroots progressive group. Since I was elected as part of the Forward 54 Slate in 2017:

1)I volunteered on the campaign team that succeeded in winning a seat for Paula Amezola, the first bi-lingual Latina to serve on the School Board in Culver City.
2)As part of Protect Culver City Renters, I fought to pass permanent rent control and robust tenant protections and helped to successfully defend those ordinances against a destructive ballot initiative to repeal them.
3)I served on the working group that created the Culver City’s Equity and Human Relations Advisory Committee.
4)I have volunteered on numerous city, county, state, and federal campaigns, canvassing door-to-door (pre-pandemic), and reaching out to voters by phone, text supporting Katie Hill for US Congress; Holly Mitchell for LA County Supervisor; Daniel Lee, Alex Fisch, Yasmine-Imani McMorrin, Freddy Puza, and Darrel Menthe for Culver City Council; Paula Amezola and Kelly Kent for Culver City School Board; and for the Schools and Communities First Initiative (I also gathered over 250 signatures to qualify Prop 15 for the ballot).
Check out my video at http://www.adem54.org/leah and please vote the complete FORWARD 54 slate so we can work together to accomplish our goals!

As a lifelong Democrat, I’m proud to be running for delegate on the FORWARD 54 slate, a group of grassroots activists who share my deep commitment to the progressive values of our platform (https://www.adem54.org/platform).

Most recently, I ran for Culver City Council on a progressive platform that advocated reimagining public safety, reinvesting in the community, creating a more sustainable environment, protecting renters and preventing displacement. Although I lost the election by 28 votes, I’m proud of the campaign I ran and proud that I didn’t compromise my values. I was endorsed by Congresswoman Karen Bass, State Senator Holly Mitchell, and the Culver City Democratic Club.

I currently serve on the Culver City General Plan Advisory Committee and the Neighborhood Council of Westchester/Playa Del Rey. Previously, I served on the Culver City Committee on Homelessness.

I’ve worked in higher education at LMU for the past 15 years. As a committee member of the California Diversity Forum, I brought their forum to my campus. The event provided resources to first- generation, low-income and students of color to pursue graduate education. I believe that everyone should have access to college or trade schools regardless of economic status.

I co-founded a chapter of the Alliance of White Anti-Racists Everywhere and I’m an Implicit Bias instructor. There is no room for discrimination or hate in our society. I am committed to fighting for equity and inclusion.

When I was young, adults told me there would never be a Black president or marriage equality. So, I’m not swayed when people say that justice cannot be achieved or that some things will never change. I know it can and it will.

As a gay cis-gender male, I’ve been a fierce advocate for LGBTQ and feminist issues. As a board member of the Stonewall Democrats, I have helped support bills and candidates that promote equality for women and the LGBTQ community. I recently was nominated to serve as First Vice President of the Culver City Democratic Club.

I believe housing is a human right. As a member of Protect Culver City Renters, I helped advocate for the rent freeze in Culver City and the subsequent push for strong rent control and tenant protections that the City Council ultimately passed.

Check out my video at https://www.adem54.org/freddy 

Please vote for the entire Forward 54 slate!

My name is Dr. Kimberly Johnson, and I am a 26-year career educator currently serving as a school principal in the greater Los Angeles area. I have entered candidacy because I feel that the time has presented for me to transfer the skills and experiences that I have acquired over the course of my career and use those energies to be of purpose, service, and leadership outside of the academy and into the community by seeking the role of a delegate for the great state of California. Like many, I have become increasingly disillusioned with the ineffective and often selfish displays of personal gain and enrichment by (elected) officials whose charge was to use their talents to enact change; instead what the current political climate has brought is increased division, the fracturing and abandonment of long standing norms and mores and an increasing number of policies designed to disenfranchise entire groups of citizens in communities that have always been the backbone of our country.

I have the pleasure of having membership in one of the most progressive African American sororities who has always led in conversations regarding equal rights and overall access for the African American community. As a part of my local sorority’s chapter, I serve as social action co-chair. In this capacity I have led initiatives aimed uplifting, empowering, and informing my community on issues relevant to their daily lives and it is that same capacity that I seek the role of delegate as it is my strong desire to continue to execute that type of work and be of impact at the state level.

“I’m a resident physician and Secretary-Treasurer of the Committee of Interns and Residents/SEIU (CIR), the largest labor union representing graduate medical trainees nationwide. I was a supporter of Senator Bernie Sanders during his first presidential campaign because of his leadership on healthcare reform and his advocacy efforts further inspired me to become a founding member of my union chapter at UCLA. Over the past few years, I’ve fought to expand access to care at UCLA, advocated for Medicare for All, opposed construction of a new county jail, and organized members at my own workplace to win our first union contract. After volunteering for the Bernie campaign earlier this year, I served as a delegate for Senator Sanders to the Democratic National Convention. My fellow union members then elected me as an openly-gay leader of our union on a platform of greater union democracy, a commitment to deepen our organizing through the pandemic, and a pledge to fight for the issues that unite all of us as a class. I’ve learned from union organizing that if we’re going to win power for the working class in our city, then we must build majority participation in the political process based on unbreakable solidarity. As residents, nurses, and other health care workers have struggled to care for the sick, I’ve worked with other leaders in my union to make a just and humane public response to the COVID-19 pandemic our national priority. We are now living through a health and economic crisis but the pandemic cannot put organizing on hold. We must fight for progressive policies like Medicare for All, a Green New Deal, and the right for all workers to form a union to ensure working class people’s needs are at the center of state and national politics.” Please vote to elect Greg Gabrellas to represent State Assembly District 54.

I believe that by bridging the gap between elected leadership and the people, we can elevate marginalized voices and make lasting change. Over the past 8 years, my professional work has been to strengthen the Democratic Party across California. I look forward to earning your trust as an Assembly District Delegate to invest my expertise in solutions to our most pressing problems here in the 54th District.

From campaigning I have learned that it’s critical we build a pipeline of leaders, develop financial infrastructure, and organize a coalition of supporters to take them across the finish line. I have worked with candidates at every level of the Democratic Party to implement progressive policies that improve our quality of life and empower our communities. After a historic election that saw 1 in 10 votes cast by a Californian, it’s critical we continue to strengthen our local infrastructure so California values continue to lead the country. Our district is suffering simultaneously from the COVID pandemic, an economic depression and housing crisis. As a Delegate I promise to work to develop solutions to rebuild a strong 54th District.

I am the Co-CEO of Makers Strategies, a full-service social change consultancy that advises first-time political candidates, organizations and grassroots movements in navigating a political system that is not working for our communities. Because of our work LA County is being represented by younger and more diverse candidates. As a result of our most recent victory, LA County will now invest upwards of $1 billion a year to address racial injustice.

Prior to setting up my consultancy I served as the Chief of Staff at a public affairs consulting firm where I specialized in government relations and fundraising consulting. In the last cycle alone, I helped raise $10 million for the Biden-Harris campaign, Senate Majority PAC, and the DCCC.

Financial support alone cannot move progressive policies forward. That’s why I volunteer as a member of several grassroots clubs and organizations including Culver City Democratic Club, Heart of LA, LACYD, Planned Parenthood and Supermajority. In addition to phone banking and door knocking, I enjoy exploring the outdoors, supporting local restaurants and spending time with my husband (just married!) and pups. Thank you for your support in my first-time candidacy for Assembly District Delegate.

I am a progressive Democrat, union member, public school employee and community activist and volunteer. I believe in the dignity of every person. As a district delegate, I will advocate for increased public spending for education, universal healthcare, affordable housing for all, environmental protection for all communities, and civil rights for all Californians.

I am a consensus-builder, and I also am deeply committed to amplifying voices of communities often shut out of the political process. People know what they need to help their families and communities thrive; as a delegate, my job will be to listen to their needs and incorporate solutions into our party’s platform.

The California Democratic Party needs to represent the goals and vision of our entire state, and all the diverse communities we encompass. We need to fight for solutions that are practical, innovative and immediate. We cannot allow our party’s work to be defined by lifelong politicians or corporate interests. The needs of our citizens are acute and urgent. Our responses must be equally bold.

Kelli Poole is a proud resident of the 54th Assembly District and is passionate about ending homelessness, advancing racial equity and creating access to fair and affordable housing. Kelli is active in local, state and national politics and most recently served as a Regional Organizer for the Prop 16 Campaign, the historic initiative to reinstate affirmative action in California. Despite the campaign outcome Kelli remains committed to expanding equitable economic opportunities for women, gender non-conforming folks and people of color. She currently serves as the Director of Racial Equity in Homelessness at Social Venture Partners Los Angeles and works with nonprofit and philanthropic organizations to support their implementation of culturally competent workforce development and employee engagement strategies. She has held past roles at the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services and the United Way of Greater Los Angeles. She is an alumnus of the Los Angeles African American Women’s Public Policy Institute (LAAAWPPI), a member of the Black Women’s Democratic Club, and a former Co-Chair of the Emerging Civic Leaders Committee of the Empowerment Congress. Kelli received her B.A in Sociology from Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina. She enjoys college football, visiting local restaurants and is constantly in search of her next great read.

I’m proud to be running on the Forward54 progressive slate as a first-time delegate! I’m the 2nd person in my extended family to be born in the United States to a single mother, herself a refugee from the civil war in El Salvador. I’m also the first person in my family to earn a Bachelor’s Degree and then a Master’s in Education from UCLA Graduate School of Education.

Education changed the trajectory of my life so profoundly that I have dedicated my 21-year professional career to urban public schools in Los Angeles. Working in low-income public schools serving a majority students of color, I have met many disenfranchised working-class families who are fighting for a better life. For 12 years I worked tirelessly to close the academic achievement gap, supporting students (like me) to be the first in their families to matriculate at a 4-year university. My young altruistic self thought that access to higher education was the panacea.

In 2010, I transitioned to the University side of the education pipeline, where I discovered that access to education was merely one lever in this systemic machine that is disenfranchising working-class people. Lack of available health care, financial capital, and access to the political decision-making system were other barriers to living the elusive middle class American dream. This is why I’ve joined the Forward54 slate to push the California Democratic Party towards a more progressive agenda that meets the needs of working-class people.

California has the largest Latinx population in the US, but we’ve yet to send a Latinx person to represent us in the Senate. We have the 5th largest economy in the world, yet most Californians are still dependent on for-profit health care companies tied to employment. The CA Democratic party holds a super majority, yet their loyalty to large corporations are inhibiting changes that protect our most vulnerable Californians.

As a Latino who is no longer struggling to meet basic needs, I have the bandwidth to represent the Latinx population and all other working-class people. I am ready to join FORWARD54’s progressive agenda and serve as a Latino voice for so many voiceless working class Latinx people, who are still preoccupied with meeting those basic needs.

Let’s move forward, 54th. Vote Will Herrera and the entire FORWARD 54th SLATE! Check out my video at http://www.adem54.org/will

My desire to serve as a 54th Assembly District Delegate comes from the fact that I have spent most of my life here and am a product of this community. I attended public and private schools in the district, such as 42nd Street Elementary, Audubon Middle School and Hamilton High School. While attending college, I developed a passion for public health as the first Community Health Worker and Perinatal Health Educator for Great Beginnings for Black Babies, which led me to my current work of advocacy, program and policy development for women and girl’s health and social justice issues. And, since then, I have worked as a public health professional for the LA County. In my 23 years with LA County, I have provided education, awareness for women, men and youth of color to ensure equitable health and social services. The needs of the people in this community are near and dear to my heart.

I always wanted to give back. I joined Black Women for Wellness, a community-based women’s and girl’s advocacy non-profit organization in the 54th AD. While working with BWW, I have been a mentor to pregnant and parenting young women and girls and been the annual Reproductive Justice conference planner. I also helped in the development of Voter Engagement Guides and Registration drives. This relationship afforded me the opportunity to learn more about policy development, advocacy and engagement. My experience there inspired me to become a member of the Black Women’s Democratic Club as I saw the importance that participation in the political process play is making policy come to life. In this last election, during the pandemic, I participated by canvassing and distributing campaign materials for newly elected 2nd District County Supervisor, Holly Mitchell.

As a parent, I wanted to pass down a legacy following the example my parents demonstrated for me. My father worked for over 40 years in community with Parks & Recreation, finishing his career as a Regional Park Director and local community leader. My beloved mother was a Realtor and business owner. She was a member of several organizations including a Black Business Association. She nurtured the desire for me to give back to my community. I believe serving as a delegate would allow me to share my background, experience and knowledge to drive community engagement and participation in the California Democratic Party.

Adjoa Jones

Yolanda Davis-Overstreet
Urban Sustainability Strategist

Born and raised in the 54th Assembly District in the West Adams community, I am very interested in utilizing my vast skillsets, experience, and education to play a role in making a good difference by advocating for justice, safety, and healing in our disenfranchised communities and communities of color.

As a mother of two (18 and 23 ), daughter of a 97-year-old mother, social and environmental activist, I currently work in the areas of transportation equity and urban sustainability. At the heart of all I do, advocating for child and family welfare is at the top of my list. I have been involved in a range of community-based projects in both my community service work and as a consultant. In 2013, I acted as a local grassroots parent advocate and pedestrian activist at my daughter’s past middle school New LA Charter Middle School located in Mid-City. I was able to ignite infrastructure change for the pedestrian safety of three-hundred middle school students on one of the busiest corridors in Los Angeles. Through the process of creating an effective safety campaign, school-based advocacy townhalls, bike clinics, rallying-up the participation of the school administration and students – we played a role in saving 300 middle school lives and beyond. Our mobility justice advocacy work was recognized and approved by the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT) in 2015. This past April (2020) the long-awaited traffic lights, crosswalks, and school zoning signage was installed to improve upon the safety conditions. The community-based work I have primarily executed over the past ten years has been deeply intentional in addressing inequities that historically exist within communities of color. It too has been inclusive of tasks that required me to engage with a range of community stakeholders from parents, school administrators, Council District members, policy-makers, academia, urban planners, small business owners, and more.

I am a graduate of the Urban Sustainability Master’s Program (USMA) at Antioch University, Los Angeles (2018), and founder of Ride in Living Color, a bicycling and mobility justice advocacy initiative that was started in 2011. At this time, I am acting as the Interim Board Chair for People for Mobility Justice. I am also the Vice President of the West Adams Neighborhood Council.

I am a lifelong resident of Assembly District 54 and committed to making a difference in the community where I live and serve. Public Service is not a hobby for me, it is truly my passion. My career history extends over two decades and spans the legislative, administrative and executive branches of government. It is now time to take my professional acumen and dedication to the people of this community and put it to work as an Assembly District Delegate.

As a leader in our City, I’ve placed a priority on projects that sit at the center of social justice. These projects range from transportation to job creation, environmental sustainability, development and more. They also place a priority on our most vulnerable citizens while simultaneously balancing the needs of our entrepreneurs and business communities.

I serve on the boards of the Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles and the Coro Foundation. In addition, I am a founding member of the Black Women’s Democratic Club.

Our party needs astute leaders who are courageous and unwavering in their fight to transform the lives of the people that they serve. I am excited to be in that number and would be honored to have your support.

My name is Kennisha Green and I’m humbly requesting your vote to elect me as a Delegate to CADEM to represent the 54th District. While this is my first time running to become a delegate, I am no stranger to the community. My family has resided in the district since 1955 when my grandparents purchased our family home where three generations were born. I’ve attended 36th Street Elementary (now known as Bright Elementary), Foshay Learning Center, and Crenshaw High School. I am in possession of a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Cal State LA and a Masters in Dispute in Resolution from the University of Southern California Gould School of Law.

During my undergraduate studies at Cal State LA, I was a part of several campus-based organizations including the Criminal Justice Club and the Black Student Union. I am a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. where I’ve held leadership roles such as Chapter President during my collegiate career and awarded Collegiate Unsung Shero in 2017. Upon graduating I was appointed to the role of Southern California Social Action Coordinator (2018-Present). I’m also a member of the California Schools Employee Association where I hold several positions ranging from 1st Vice President, Union Steward, and Regional Secretary.

As a community member in the 54th District I believe that it’s critical that we have someone in key positions to express the concerns of our community especially during a season of COVID-19. My primary interest in becoming a delegate is to ensure that the delegation is reflective of the community it serves and to address the needs of those community members as it pertains to police reform and gentrification. My goal is to give power to our voices and our communities.

Trina Roberts

I, Trina Roberts, am a politically engaged Community Organizer, Civics Outreach Educator, Health and Decedent Affairs Advocate. As a politically engaged Community Organizer, I have hosted and organized Bi-Annual Pre and Post Collegiate Symposium; to educate and inform the youth and young adults within the 54th Assembly District and surroundings areas of their Baccalaureate and Graduate Academic options (with in-and-out of the state) and Post Graduate School Internships and Professional opportunities.

For over ten years as a Civics Outreach Educator, I have had the pleasure of hosting “Get Out the Vote” (GOTV) Community Civic Engagement Panels and Voter Registration Seminars; where individuals receive knowledge in grassroots voter canvassing and mobilizing training. As a Patient Health Care and Decedents Affair Advocate, I have had the honor to partner with patients and their families after receiving incurable life altering diagnosis. Objective: to assist patients and their families as they navigate the complex nuances of the Health Care Systems Administrative and Insurance Policies. The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), has altered, impacted and had a devastating effect upon communities, and the 54 district is not exempt.

As your Delegate, together we will engage in obtaining our solutions for the various needs of this culturally, ethnically and racially diverse district. I will lobby for inclusion of our solutions at the parties “Resolution and Platform” meeting. I am asking for your vote to represent you and the future of our community. Together, we will navigate through COVID-19; and its effects as well as all the challenges that await us collectively as a community in the future.

I will address the concerns within the district with the same acute attention, compassion, dedication and diligence that I have served my patient’s, their families and the community with over the years, to ensure that all residents within the district have representation and that all communities are experiencing equal and progressively evolving opportunities.

Hi my name is Atra Flemons and I am running for election to represent ADEM district 54. As a system impacted Black Muslim woman, I share my story to break the silence and isolation of system impacted women of color who’s families have been destroyed by Mass Incarceration and issues of social inequities. In 1996 I moved to Los Angeles and within a few weeks my life was turned upside down. My only child was wrongly convicted of murder and given three life sentences without the possibility of parole. We immediately filed for an appeal and began the fight for his freedom. After 19 long years he was exonerated.

I have been a resident in the 54th district for over 20 years. And, I now work as a Community Organizer where I have fought to bring about change in communities of color. I have worked to get people registered to vote, out to vote, counted in the 2020 Census and encouraged Black and Brown women to become Activist in their communities and to fight to end the incarceration of their loved ones.

Hello, my name is Javier Moro, and I am a graduate student at Cal State LA.

And I am an organizer.

In my junior year at Cal State LA, I chaired an environmental policy committee to write policy and develop a more sustainably inclusive environment on my campus.

As a former DSA member on campus, I organized and led discussion groups and training for other students.

I worked as a lead trainer for the Sunrise Movement and I traveled the country in the summer of 2019 and continue to be an active member of Sunrise LA.

As an organizer on the Sanders campaign during the 2020 campaign, I collected and tracked voter information, canvassed, and registered people to vote, both on and off-campus.

As an environmentalist and a resident of planet earth, I believe the most important issue facing our nation is climate change. Green energy is the pathway towards a more sustainable and livable future. While coronavirus is leading all the headlines and we’re missing that we’re experiencing hotter seasons, more intensive storms, and in higher frequencies. Climate change is the greatest existential threat humans have ever faced. If the government doesn’t begin to fight the climate crisis now, by 2030 we could be facing catastrophic disaster for life as we know it on earth.

My platform includes

* A Green New Deal

* Medicare for all

* An Economy that works for the working class

* FREE Public Education

* Abolishing Student Debt

* Eliminating Medical Debt

* Tax on extreme wealth

* Racial Justice

* A livable wage

* Women’s rights

* Get corporate money out of politics

* LGBTQ+ equality

Young people like me are the future of the Democratic Party and I am the youngest member of the Forward 54 slate. We’re working together to push forward these progressive goals.

Please check out my video at http://www.adem54.org/Javier

Compassionate, Dedicated, Loyal, Up-front and Ambitious. These are the characteristics that I will bring to the table everyday as I serve as a delegate to the California State Democratic Party for Assembly District 54. This is my first time running as a delegate and I couldn’t be more honored and excited for this opportunity. I believe in change. I believe all change is fundamental for our society to improve. Change happens from the inside out with leaders who have the courage to listen to the needs of the community. It happens when we have different folks from different backgrounds who make our voices heard.

I am a fierce advocate for:

Black Lives Matter

Ending voter suppression

Police reform

LGBTQ+ Equality

Changing mental health systems

Investing in the most vulnerable especially during COVID-19

Green New Deal

Gun violence prevention

Student loan forgiveness

I care deeply about our democracy! This last year leading up to the November general elections I worked on over 15 federal races to win back control of Washington. When I found out Georgia’s two Senate races were going to a run-off, I started to feel uncomfortable with how distanced I was from the state. I realized quickly that I desperately wanted to be there, organizing on the ground, to help finish what I set out to do: fighting for our democracy, fighting for women, fighting for youth, fighting for people of color. So, that’s what I did and I’m extremely proud of the work I’ve been able to accomplish here. I’m extremely proud of the work I’ve been able to accomplish in Georgia. I am so ready to apply what I’ve learned here to continue to help improve my own community in AD54!

If I have the privilege of serving as your delegate, I will show up and fight for our shared progressive values every single day!

Please vote for me and the whole FORWARD 54 slate!

Watch my candidate video here: https://www.adem54.org/shetarrah

It is my passion to make certain that people are directly involved in creating a better quality of life; through education and organizing. In 2017, I was instrumental in the creation of Concerned Community Members for the Chesapeake Apartments; a Tenant Association. In the heart of a housing crisis, we won the right to have our voices heard in a lawsuit which had the potential to drastically change rental terms and cause mass evictions. Because of our intervention; we have become a model and resource for Los Angeles tenants fighting to stay in their homes. With the goals of advocating for habitable affordable housing, restorative justice, and access to living wage jobs for women of color; I became a founding member the California Black Women’s Democratic Club.

It is my personal belief, as a progressive black woman; the agenda of our party should always reflect the interest of the people it serves. I am committed to ensuring that the needs of our community are not lost in party politics. As a delegate, I will support candidates and initiatives that address income inequality, educational disparities, and improving a criminal justice system that has failed the most vulnerable. Most importantly, I will remain accountable to the people who have elected me to serve and the communities they represent.

Currently, I reside in the Crenshaw/Baldwin Village neighborhood of Los Angeles. I have the privilege of serving as a Political Coordinator for Service Employees International Union, Local 721; advocating through policy and legislative efforts for our 90,000 public sector workers and the communities we serve. Within SEIU Local 721, I am the facilitator for our member-lead African American Caucus. I am also a proud member of the Los Angeles A. Philip Randolph Institute, Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated, Vice President of the United Union Professionals, and graduate of the Los Angeles African American Women’s Public Policy Institute.

My name is Jay Greenstein and I am proudly appealing for your support for the State Central Committee. I have been inspired by President-elect Joe Biden, who has still found the strength to take on such a huge responsibility, despite tragedy in his life. I have also experienced great loss in my life, when my daughter lost her fight three years ago to brain cancer, at age fourteen. Shortly afterwards, my wife and I separated, which later led to our divorce. While rebuilding my life, I have now found my Democratic activist voice again, after many years of focusing on my family.

I was inspired this past fall to make calls for Joe Biden into battleground states. In my previous involvement, more than 15 years ago, I volunteered in numerous campaigns and worked as a campaign staffer on a dozen races from local government to state legislative and statewide initiatives. I served as President and Vice-President of two Democratic clubs and was a member of a number of others. I served at least seven terms as a member and alternate member of the County Central Committee. Through that committee I was able to be elected as a member of the State Central Committee. I served three terms as a member of the Party Executive Board and a member of the State Credentials Committee. On the county level I served as co-chair of the Credentials Committee and the Organization Committee, which chartered the Democratic clubs. I have proudly done the work to build up the party.

In my professional life, I have worked for many years on staff for elected officials, most of that time for current LA Councilmember Paul Koretz. I currently serve as his Chief Field and Transportation Deputy. I have been privileged to work on a number of key transportation projects, including the Westside Subway Extension and Phase 2 of the Expo light rail project to the Westside.

Given the opportunity to serve as a member of this body, I want to dedicate myself to building bridges of understanding between communities and thus building a stronger, more diverse and more unified Democratic Party. I hope that you will find that my prior experience with the State Central Committee and with Party activities makes me an ideal candidate to return to that position.

I am firmly rooted in the 54th district where I have lived since I was a child and where I have raised my adult daughter.

I care about the shared issues that we face locally, throughout California and the nation. Representation is important. Who we elect to serve us must be sensitive to their entire constituency.

As we all look to recover from Covid-19, we must elect leaders who can address immediate needs while developing short and long-term solutions for challenges that existed pre-pandemic but are now severely exacerbated.

In order to recover, we need resources and we need to elect representatives who will fight for us and put us first. They must address housing, unemployment, small business, healthcare, education, violence, trafficking, hate crimes, immigration, environment, police reform, senior care, transportation and more.

There must be a clear and concise plan of action from our elected officials to address these issues; not just talk.

I want to be a part of this important political process and respectfully ask for your vote as a delegate for the 54th Assembly District. I won’t let you down.

I would like to serve as a ADem Deligate for 54th District because I was born and raised in Los Angeles. I know what our District use to be like and how it should be. I enjoy Meddling in the Political Process. I served as a Proxy at the 2016 Cadem Conference in San Jose. I’m currently on the Zapata King Neighborhood Council Board, serving as the Homeless Liason. I joined that Board because I had Homeless Encampments outside my front and back door when I use to live in LA CD9. I couldn’t keep driving bye In 2012 I was the Boots on the Ground in Lakewood & Denver,Colorado, for the Obama for America Campaign. For the last ten years I have Lobbied in Sacramento for Rent Control, Justice Reform and Gun Sense. I have Volunteered with various Community Organization such as Dress For Success, New Image Toy Store , LA Mayor’s Corps, California Black Women’s Health Project, Giving Spirit, Immunize L..A , and Youth Business Alliance, just to name a few.

I love Advocating for Change and Important Issues that Impact our Community. I have received several Awards for my service from Senator Holly Mitchell, Mayor Eric Garcetti, Mayor of Long Beach Robert Garcia, Assembly member Patrick O’donnell , California Demoractic Party in 2015, Senator Alan Lowenthal. I

I’m currently employed by a leading Sales and Marketing Firm as a Brand Advocate.

I have represented Epson Printers and Projectors, PayPal, Trend Micro, Proctor and Gamble ,Direct TV and Audible Books.

If you Vote for me I will be your Voice in Sacramento. I will work Passionately hard to bring needed Change and Progress to our wonderful Community. I Promise!

Victoria Moran – AD 54 Delegate!

As a proud Democrat, Black woman, mother, wife, mental health clinician and a 15 year resident of Assembly District (AD) 54 – (Asm Sydney Kamlager’s district): I am very excited to run for Assembly Delegate to our California Democratic Party in our beautiful district, AD 54.

Kamala Harris was my presidential candidate of choice, and I began co-hosting for her and enthusiastically bundling monies for her early in the election cycle. When Kamala was selected by Joe Biden as his VP, I began to enthusiastically bundle monies and promote the Biden/ Harris ticket for President and Vice President of the United States.

Like Kamala I am a Howard University alumna, a member of The Links, Inc., and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Like Kamala, I believe in LGBTQIA rights, unions, women’s rights, affirmative action, disability rights, racial justice, economic justice, pro-choice, equality, and a scientific response to COVID 19. It is personal to me as a Black queer/ bisexual, woman that has often been discriminated against to advocate for equality on behalf of my LGBTQIA family, and on behalf of Black Indigenous People of Color.

I believe in a Democratic Party that is diverse, inclusive, and equitable. I believe in a Democratic Party that has a plurality of voices at the table – able and disabled, POC and white, straight and queer, male, female, and gender non-binary. I as a AD 54 Delegate intend to be a voice for the voiceless, and encourage those that are not traditionally part of the Democratic power structure to take their rightful position at the table. Like Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm stated, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table bring a folding chair!”

In addition to serving on VP-elect National Finance Committee – I am a member of both Heart of LA Democratic Club, Stonewall Democratic Club, a 2019 graduate of the Women’s Campaign School at Yale, completed the She Should Run Spring 2019 Incubator Program, and I’m a 2020 graduate of the Los Angeles African American Women’s Public Policy Institute.

I have stood in the breach for others my entire life. I was raised in the Black church by parents that have tithed 10% of their income, as well as 10% of their time to philanthropic endeavors. I too tithe 10% of my income and time to philanthropic endeavors.

I’m fired up! I’m ready to serve as your AD 54 delegate!

I am a third-generation Angeleno seeking your vote for Assembly District Delegate because I believe there are compassionate, common sense solutions to every problem facing our area, from housing affordability to Covid relief, and as your advocate I will work towards them with Democrats across California. I pursue research-based responses to each issue and will not waste our resources on unfounded methods that do not bear results. I value transparency and will explain each of my decisions as a delegate to the community. I consider the effects of policies and discourse on marginalized groups and will always think of how best to uplift them with every endorsement, vote, and statement. I also recognize that despite November’s momentous victory our party is divided, and realistically it will take compromise between progressives and moderates to carry us forward. As your delegate I will never hesitate to extend myself across the intraparty aisle when there is a chance to reach the right solution; I firmly believe that it takes all shades of blue to make us the party for all races, classes, genders, faiths, abilities, orientations, and backgrounds.